Illusory superiority facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Imagine thinking you're better at something than most other people, even when it's not quite true. That's called illusory superiority. It's a way our brain sometimes tricks us into thinking we are a bit better than we actually are, especially when we compare ourselves to others. This happens with things like how smart we are, how well we do tasks, or how kind we are.

This idea was first talked about by researchers in 1991. You might also hear it called the above-average effect or the Lake Wobegon effect. Lake Wobegon is a made-up town where "all the children are above average." The Dunning-Kruger effect is a special type of illusory superiority. It's when people who aren't very skilled at something think they are much better than they really are.

Most of what we know about illusory superiority comes from studies in the United States. But recent research shows that how much people overestimate themselves can depend on their culture. For example, some studies suggest that people in East Asia might tend to underestimate their own skills. They do this to help themselves improve and get along better with others.

Why We Think We're Above Average

Why do we sometimes think we're better than others? Scientists have a few ideas.

Thinking Positively About Ourselves

One idea is that we naturally want to see ourselves in a good light. When we think about a good quality, like being honest, we tend to imagine ourselves as being very honest, maybe even more honest than most people. This happens almost automatically, without us even trying.

Focusing on Ourselves

Another reason is called egocentrism. This means we pay more attention to our own skills and actions than to other people's. We might think we have a special advantage that others don't. For example, if you and a friend both do equally well on a task, you might still think you did better. This happens because you focus more on your own effort and performance.

What We Focus On

Focalism is another idea. It means we give more importance to whatever we are focusing on. In studies, when people are asked to compare themselves to an "average person," they usually focus more on themselves. This makes them think their own abilities are more important or better. If the question was asked the other way around ("compare the average person to yourself"), this effect might be smaller.

Choosing Our Comparisons

Sometimes, we might unconsciously pick who we compare ourselves to. This is called selective recruitment. We might compare our strengths to someone else's weaknesses. This makes us look better overall. For example, if you're good at math, you might compare yourself to a friend who struggles with math. This makes you feel better about your own math skills.

Comparing to a Group

When we compare ourselves to a whole group, like "the average person," we often think we are better than that average. This happens even if most people in the group also think they are above average. It's like everyone in a class thinks they are better than the "average student" in that class.

How It Shows Up in Life

Illusory superiority can be seen in many parts of our lives.

School and Work

Teaching: In one survey, 68% of university teachers thought they were in the top 25% for teaching ability. That's a lot of people thinking they're really good!
Exams: At one university, 87% of business students thought their grades were better than the average student's.
Jobs: People often think they are better at their jobs than their co-workers.
Stock Trading: Many people who trade stocks think they are the best and will succeed. This can lead to a lot of trading.

Thinking Skills

The Dunning-Kruger effect is a good example here. In studies, people were given tasks like solving puzzles or checking grammar. They then guessed how well they did compared to others. The people who did the worst on the tasks often thought they did much better than they actually did. They didn't realize how unskilled they were. But when they got some training, they got better at the tasks and also became more accurate about their own skill level.

Driving

Many studies show that people think they are better drivers than average.

In one study, 93% of U.S. students and 69% of Swedish students thought their driving skills were in the top 50%.
Even when it comes to texting while driving, 36% of drivers believed they were above average at it compared to others.

Health Habits

People often think they do more healthy things and fewer unhealthy things than the average person. For example, they might say they eat healthier or exercise more often than others.

Noticing Biases

People also tend to think they are less likely to be biased than others. This is called the "bias blind spot." It means we're good at seeing biases in other people, but not so good at seeing them in ourselves.

Intelligence (IQ)

The "Downing effect" is about how people estimate their IQ. People with a lower-than-average IQ often guess their IQ is higher than it is. People with a higher-than-average IQ sometimes guess their IQ is a bit lower than it is. Also, men, on average, might overestimate their IQ by a few points, while women might underestimate theirs.

Memory

Older adults often think their memory is better than other people their age. They might also think their memory is better now than it was when they were 25, even if it's not.

Popularity

People often think they are more popular and have more friends than they actually do. This is interesting because, on average, most people actually have fewer friends than their friends have!

Relationship Happiness

People tend to think their own relationships are better than other people's relationships. The happier someone is in their relationship, the more they believe their relationship is superior. This effect is often stronger for men.

What Makes It Stronger or Weaker?

The strength of illusory superiority can change depending on different things.

How Clear the Trait Is

If a quality is hard to measure, like "popularity" or "attractiveness," people are more likely to overestimate themselves. It's easier to believe you're "more popular" than to believe you're "taller than average" if you're not. When a trait is very clear, like physical ability, the effect might be weaker.

How We Compare

The way studies ask people to compare themselves can change the results.

Direct comparison: If you're asked to rate yourself and the "average person" on the same scale, you're more likely to show illusory superiority. It's hard to tell if you're overestimating yourself or underestimating the average person.
Indirect comparison: If you rate yourself and the "average person" on separate scales, researchers can get a clearer idea of whether you're overestimating yourself or underestimating others.

Who We Compare To

Comparing yourself to a real person you know, instead of an "average peer," can make the effect weaker. When you see or know the person you're comparing yourself to, it's harder to think you're much better than them.

How Much Control We Feel We Have

If you believe you can control a positive quality, like being a good student, you're more likely to think you're better at it than others. If it's a negative quality you can't control, like a health issue, you're less likely to blame yourself. This is part of a "self-serving bias," where we take credit for success and blame other things for failure.

Our Personality

Our personality can also play a role. People with high self-esteem often show a stronger illusory superiority bias. They tend to interpret things in a way that makes them look good.

Illusory Superiority and Mental Health

For a long time, many thought that having a very accurate view of yourself was key to good mental health. But some researchers suggested that having a few "positive illusions," like illusory superiority, might actually be helpful. They thought these illusions could make people feel better.

However, more recent studies have shown a different picture. Some research suggests that people who strongly overestimate themselves might actually have poorer social skills or other problems. For example, in one study, people who thought they were much better than others were sometimes seen as hostile or irritable by observers. So, while a little bit of positive thinking can be good, too much self-overestimation might have some downsides.

Worse-than-Average Effect

Sometimes, the opposite of illusory superiority happens! This is called the worse-than-average effect. It means that for some tasks, especially very difficult ones, people might actually underestimate their own abilities compared to others.

Illusory Superiority and Self-Esteem

The link between illusory superiority and self-esteem is interesting. Some believe that people with high self-esteem keep it high by thinking very positively about themselves. Studies have shown that college students who are not depressed tend to think they have more control over good things happening to them than their peers do. They also tend to rate others below themselves rather than just rating themselves higher.

However, it's also possible that people with truly healthy self-esteem don't always show illusory superiority. People who are determined to grow and learn might be less prone to these illusions. So, while illusory superiority might be linked to an undeserved high self-esteem, people with genuine high self-esteem might not always show it.